I tried starting this with "Dear Yahoo!"... not only could I not live with "Dear" when addressing Yahoo!, even the exclamation point isn't sitting right with me. Maybe in the context of disappointment it is appropriate, but certainly not in the context of enthusiasm with which they intend.
Let me back up.
Yahoo! (ugh, "!") purchased the single best* shared to-do app '
Astrid' and has announced they're
shutting it down in 90 days. Now Astrid (perhaps will honorably live for 90 days as Astrid! in my heart) wasn't without faults. There are the list counts that are usually wrong on shared lists, the UI isn't terribly attractive, and the weird Pac-Man Ghost-looking characters are juvenile, but I can forgive that. Astrid was by FAR our (my wife and my) first choice of shared to-do apps.
Grocery list? Astrid. To-Do list? Astrid. Weekend project list? Astrid. Home Depot, Costco, Target, Long Term Project Ideas, PetsMart? All Astrid. Tens if not a hundred or more items tracked, synced instantly, and wildly convenient. My wife can add something to the grocery list while I'm at the store, you can assign due dates, assign tasks, set reminders, there is a website you can log into and manage, the iPad app is good, the list goes on.
There is competition for Astrid, but none that even made a strong case.
SimplyUs is simply miserable to use.
Avocado is more aimed at messaging your partner, but has some shared list features.
Cozi was uncomfortable to use at best.
Toodledo is so hard on the eyes I'd hesitate about downloading it for free, never mind $2.99. I want to like
Clear, but if you need a guide on how to use the UI, you failed at making a UI. If
Remember The Milk has shared list capabilities they're buried, and that's about all I want this for.
Any.Do is stunningly beautiful for a few to-do's that aren't shared, but anything more becomes cumbersome.
And Wunderlist... oh dear Wunderlist. A favorite of mine years ago was replaced by the native iOS Reminders app (for my personal, non-shared to-do list) comes to the rescue. I ditched them for sub-par sharing features and what seemed like a tried-too-hard-to-simplify UI. I decided to test drive each of these apps before stating that Astrid had no competition, and I'm glad I did. I'm happy to announce my wife and I will be switching to Wunderlist.
Ok, back to a now-less-overwhelming feeling of disappointment.
I can't blame the folks at Astrid. Turning down an offer from a big company like Yahoo! isn't something I can say I'd look forward to doing. I can, however, blame the folks at Yahoo! (Exclamation seems appropriate, this time.) I was hopeful when Marissa Mayer took over. I enjoyed the news of her firm positions on certain things. Now I'm thinking that she, along with the rest of Yahoo!, doesn't know where they fit in this world. They're struggling to find an identity online, a place where Google owns just about everything search or email related.
Marissa, this isn't the way to do it. I'll change my position if you re-launch Astrid in a new and better way, but if you integrate it with Yahoo! Mail in such a way that I've got to switch my services over to Yahoo! from Gmail, you have failed. If you don't re-launch Astrid in a new and kick ass way, and you've done nothing historically to make me believe you're capable of such a feat, then you have failed.
Yahoo! reminds me of a young teenager - struggling to figure out who they are while lashing out without thinking twice about taking others down with them in the process. Now if only there was a way to send them to their room to think about what they've done.
*Single Best title was awarded before re-trying all of the apps mentioned above. I've only had the new Wunderlist for a half hour or so, but they're giving Astrid a run for its money at least, if not besting it.
P.S. - Huge thanks to
Wunderlist for improving your product and providing a superior experience! You've got 2 new customers, and I suspect many more to come.
